One killed as Ukraine launches largest drone attack on Moscow

Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone attack on Moscow early on Tuesday, killing at least one person, sparking fires, and forcing the suspension of flights and train services across the Russian capital.

Russian authorities said that 337 drones were launched toward Russia overnight on Monday, with 91 of those targeting the Moscow region.

Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, confirmed that this was the largest drone attack on the city by Ukraine. Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the Moscow region, stated that one person had been killed and three others were injured in the attack.

Photo: A residential house ablaze after recent Ukraine's drone attack, according the local authorities, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in the Moscow region/Reuters

In response to the strikes, Russia’s aviation watchdog suspended flights at all four of Moscow's airports. Two additional airports in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions, both east of Moscow, were also closed.

The governor, Vorobyov, further reported that at least seven apartments had been damaged, forcing residents to evacuate from a multi-story building in the Ramenskoye district, located 50 km southeast of the Kremlin. A train station in the Domodedovo district, 35 km south of Moscow, was also reportedly damaged.

Russian Telegram channels, including Baza, which is linked to security services, posted videos showing fires in residential areas, claiming they were caused by drone strikes.

Russian officials, along with pro-Russian media, frequently report that drones were shot down, with their debris causing damage to homes and facilities, regardless of whether the drones hit their intended military targets.

Photo: Tracers are seen in the night sky as Ukrainian servicemen fire at the drone during a Russian drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine/Reuters

The drone strikes occurred on the same day that US and Ukrainian teams were set to meet for peace talks in Saudi Arabia, as part of the US push to end the ongoing conflict that began with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Authorities in Ryazan, southeast of Moscow, and Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, also reported drone attacks in their regions. Several settlements in the Belgorod region lost power, according to the regional governor.

A similar large-scale drone attack on Moscow occurred in November 2024, marking the biggest attack on the city at that time, involving 34 UAVs. At least one civilian was killed, and dozens of homes were destroyed in that attack, according to Russian officials.

Kyiv has stated that its strikes within Russian territory are targeted at infrastructure vital to Moscow’s war efforts. Ukraine justifies these attacks as retaliation for Russia’s ongoing bombing of Ukraine, though both sides deny targeting civilians. The war has resulted in thousands of deaths, with the majority of the casualties being Ukrainian.

Photo: Police officers stand on the roof o residential building damaged in a recent Ukrainian drone attack, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict, in Moscow, Russia/Reuters

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed that the drone strike occurred just before the arrival of the OSCE Secretary-General in Moscow. She pointed out that similar attacks have taken place during visits by high-ranking foreign delegations. "This is not the first time that a visit to Moscow by a high-ranking foreign delegation has been accompanied by an attack by Ukrainian armed forces drones," Zakharova wrote online.

The greater Moscow region, with a population exceeding 21 million, is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe, alongside Istanbul.